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Nick Khan: Vince McMahon Played WWE Hiatus Smart

BSM Staff
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Nick Khan is now the sole CEO of the WWE after Stephanie McMahon announced her exit from the company. McMahon’s exit followed the news that Vince McMahon would return to oversee the exploration of either a sale or merger of the company.

On the latest episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast, Khan said that even while McMahon was away from WWE, he never considered himself the boss.

“My thought has always been there’s only one boss at WWE and it ain’t me,” he told Simmons. “Vince is the creator and founder of the company. He’s also the controlling shareholder, which as you know, that’s not a work term. That’s a legal term of art. So I think it was always my point of view or Stephanie’s point of view that at some point he would come back. I think the way that he played it was smart, Bill, in that he went away for five or six months — which the audience seems to like that — and then he came back and took control back of his company.”

Vince McMahon exited the WWE power structure five months ago amid multiple allegations of sexual misconduct and the revelation that he used company money to cover up those allegations.

When asked if he is worried that McMahon’s return could turn off business partners or fans, Khan pointed out that so far, that hasn’t happened. He wonders if there is really a strong feeling amongst the public about McMahon being back involved with the company at all.

“Sometimes I think it’s just a three mile radius of LA thing. The ‘Hey, step down and you have to be punished for it’.”

Nick Khan says he made it a point to visit Vince monthly during his hiatus. Those were not business visits. He said that he, Stephanie McMahon, and Triple H had total control during that time.

Bill Simmons pressed Khan, wondering if it bothered McMahon that wrestling fans seemed very happy with the WWE product without his involvement. Simmons reasoned that when anyone builds a creative product for as long as Vince McMahon built the WWE, there is a part of that person that wants to know the product cannot survive without him.

“To me, I never got a sense from him of any sort of bitterness or anything like that,” Khan said. “He seemed, through the first month of his hiatus, thrilled.”

Since Vince McMahon’s return, Nick Khan says he has not expressed any concerns about decisions made in his absence and he has largely still been hands off with the creative side of the business. His sole focus is finding the right business relationship to secure WWE’s future. He added that it is not a responsibility that McMahon is taking on alone.

“I’m involved in it. Triple H is involved in it. The board is obviously involved in it, Triple H being on the board, as I have the good fortune of being as well. We’ll see how it plays out. It should not be a lengthy process.”

Khan did address two rumors floating around Vince McMahon’s return and the power structure of WWE. He said that any rumor that a deal had been done with Saudi Arabia to sell the company was “100 percent fake. 100 percent made up.”

Simmons also asked him about the relationship between Vince and his daughter Stephanie McMahon after she announced her resignation as co-CEO. Khan said that both he and Stephanie always assumed it was likely Vince would return to lead the company. Anything beyond that, he isn’t interested in commenting on.

“It’s important to anyone listening to this, if you’re going to join a family business and you’re not part of the family, stay out of the family business part. That’s rule number one.”

Chris Crawford Elevated to APD at WSB

BNM Staff
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Chris Crawford Elevated to APD at WSB

Chris Crawford has been promoted to the role of Assistant Program Director at Atlanta news/talk station 95.5 WSB.

“I’m excited Chris will be part of the WSB programming leadership team,” said WSB Director of Branding and Programming Ken Charles. “His passion for the product and station will help WSB continue to be the market leader for news and entertaining talk.”

Crawford joined the station in June of last year after working as Operations Manager of Orlando news/talk station WDBO. WSB — like WDBO — is owned by Cox Media Group.

“I could not be more thrilled to be given the opportunity to be the Assistant Program Director at 95.5 WSB. To be able to work at a station of this magnitude alongside the likes of Ken Charles is a radio dream job,” added Crawford.

“I never imagined I would be in this position when I arrived here in June, but I’m incredibly excited and motivated to take on this role.”

Stephen A. Smith Details How Kobe Bryant Handled Criticism

BSM Staff
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We are approaching the three-year anniversary of the untimely and tragic death of former NBA legend Kobe Bryant, and ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith reminisced about the former Laker during an appearance on The Howard Stern Show Wednesday.

While promoting his book, Straight Shooter, Smith shined a light on his relationship with the five-time champion, saying he knew if he received a phone call from Bryant, the resulting conversation was likely to be contentious.

“Kobe scared the living shit out of me,” Smith said. “Kobe was a savant. You did not know more basketball than Kobe Bryant. So when Kobe called you — I can quote him for you right now. Voicemail: ‘You know who this is, motherf—er. Get your ass up, pick up the f—ing phone and call me back. That bullshit you just said. And don’t keep me waiting for so long, either. Your ass better not go on the air and say some more shit before you talk to me.’ That was Kobe. I would say something along the lines of ‘I don’t like the way he’s playing. It’s selfish basketball…I don’t like this decision.'”

Smith continued by commenting on Bryant rebutting that he would only play “selfish basketball” when the players around him weren’t playing up to their potential, before then saying Bryant was open to criticizing coaches if Smith was critical of the 18-time All-Star.

“‘He don’t know what the f— he’s doing, Steve. He don’t know what the f— he’s doing, so you don’t know what the f— you’re talking about, Stephen A. So you’re gonna bring up all that shit you’re talking about me, but you didn’t bring up that.'”

Smith then concluded by saying Bryant would tell him “I don’t know why I love your ass. I really, really, don’t. But I love you.”

Mad Dog To Stephen A. Smith: ‘Can We Move On From This Stupid Book?’

BSM Staff
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Mad Dog To Stephen A. Smith: ‘Can We Move On From This Stupid Book?’

Stephen A. Smith is a busy man this week as he hits the interview circuit to promote his new memoir Straight Shooter. Some of those interview obligations have taken the First Take host away from the ESPN show that made him a star. His friend and part-time partner Chris “Mad Dog” Russo wants to make sure Smith has his priorities straight.

“Your meal ticket is here, in that chair,” he said on Wednesday’s edition of First Take. “Your meal ticket is not on these radio shows; not on these TV shows. How dare you miss openings of shows to do radio or TV interviews!”

The segment was clearly done tongue-in-cheek as both men smiled through the interaction, but Mad Dog let Smith have it. He said that he was already sick of the book.

“Enough already! You’ve made a fortune. We get it! The book’s not bad! We can move on! Can we move on from this stupid book? I’ve had enough of Straight Shooter!”

Molly Qerim and Marcus Spears laughed as they looked on. Qerim even added that she hoped Dave Roberts, ESPN’s head of NBA and studio production, who oversees First Take, was watching.

After Mad Dog’s rant was over, Smith had a chance to fire back. He stayed calm and simply pointed out that while Russo may be sick of the promotional tour for the book, he is feeding the beast.

“Where am I appearing on today? You said you’re tired of the book, but you’re talking to me at 4 o’clock.”

Smith and Russo will likely continue the theatrical tete-a-tete on Wednesday afternoon on SiriusXM channel 84.

Chris Long Didn’t Like the Attention That Came With TV Analyst Work

BSM Staff
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Former NFL defensive end Chris Long has found his niche in the media space as the host of The Green Light Podcast and it is an outlet that he has been very comfortable with in terms of expressing his opinions.

Long was a guest on The Season with Peter Schrager podcast and he told Schrager that on the occasions when he has been an analyst on television, the attention he got was not something he was completely comfortable with.

“Sure, I maybe could work towards having one of those good jobs, but I also understand there’s a big process with that.

“I’ve been at a crossroads at times as a media guy where I’m like ‘Should I just do that?’ If I got to ask myself, then I don’t really want it. If I’m like ‘Damn I got to take a flight up there every week, I got to get suits’, then I don’t really want to do that and honestly, the couple of times I’ve been on TV, I don’t like the attention.”

One of the reasons Long mentioned why he isn’t comfortable being on TV is he doesn’t want to feel like he has to perform and on his podcast, he can be himself.

“Being on TV, I get really uncomfortable performing. I don’t like performing and I don’t like being told what to say. Here, that never happens. For the most part, I think finding your groove in this side of things is just having conversations…It’s just a nice change of pace.”

Long also feels that in this day and age of social media, it’s a constant argument about any NFL point that is being made and that is not something he wants to deal with.

“The world of podcasting has gotten better where the money is very good. Maybe I’d be making a little less money starting out doing studio stuff. For me, I do not like — whether it’s Twitter or whether it’s a guy on the street — I’m over arguing with people.”

Steak Shapiro Apologizes, Says He Didn’t Think Stetson Bennett Criticism Was ‘That Inflamatory’

BSM Staff
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Wednesday’s edition of The Steakhouse was one Atlanta sports fans were waiting for. Late Tuesday night, Steak Shapiro took to Twitter to promise that he would address Stetson Bennett IV’s reaction to his criticism of the way the quarterback behaved at Georgia’s National Championship parade on Saturday.

“The notion is that Steak was basically roasted,” he said of the coverage the social media spat received. “He was put on the grill and taken to task.”

Shapiro had tweeted that he did not think it was a good look for Bennett to be on his phone during the championship parade and that his speech seemed more about settling old grudges than it was about celebrating the team or the fans. In a message on Twitter, which began by addressing Shapiro as “Mr. Med Rare”, Bennett explained that he was using his phone to play music in the car he was riding in. He was not ignoring the moment or the fans.

After giving Bennett credit for coming up with a funny nickname, Steak Shapiro said that he was surprised that the quarterback took the criticism so personally.

“My job is to give an opinion. I didn’t think it was that inflammatory. I didn’t think it was that dramatic.”

He added that has no problem with Stetson’s disdain for the media. He just thought the parade should have been about the fans and the accomplishment rather than Stetson Bennett IV trying to settle old grudges. Still, Shapiro wanted to make it clear that he does not hate the Georgia quarterback. He remains one of Bennett’s most vocal fans.

“On three or four occasions, I was lambasted because I said I thought he was the greatest player in Georgia history, and I said that before he won the national title,” Shapiro said. “I said that when they had the undefeated regular season, and then people started saying ‘stop saying that about Stetson’ or ‘Stetson’s overrated’. I just kinda had his back the entire year and probably had his back the last two years. I just didn’t think Saturday was a great day. That is what I have been saying, and I stand by it. I just didn’t think it was a great-looking day.”

Steak Shapiro did offer an apology to Bennett. He said that if the quarterback was just trying to play music on his phone, that isn’t that big of a deal, and if he had known that is what was happening, his reaction may have been different.

“My bad,” he concluded. “You were just trying to play music and not ignore the fans. Still don’t think it was a great speech, but again, you’re the biggest football hero in Georgia football history. You’re one of the iconic sports figures — maybe number one — in a town of Hank Aaron, and Chipper Jones, and Domonique Wilkins, and Matt Ryan, and Deion Sanders. You’re probably number one all time.”

Lidia Curanaj Leaving 77 WABC for Newsmax

BNM Staff
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In a tweet, 77 WABC host Lidia Curanaj has announced she is joining Newsmax for a nationally televised show.

“The premiere date will be announced soon, but I am super excited yet sad to leave all the amazing people at WABC!” Curanaj said. “I plan on giving you all the truth and be as independent of a thinker as possible.”

Curanaj began her career at 77 WABC in 2018 as a part-time news anchor before becoming the station’s News Content Director. She then became a host on the New York station, hosting The Rundown, as well as co-hosting WABC Evening News and The Cats Roundtable with John Catsimatidis during her tenure.

Curanaj has a television history. After starting her television career as an intern at The View, she eventually grew to becoming a coordinating producer on CBS Evening News with Dan Rather before joining WHNS-TV in Greenville, South Carolina. From there, she eventually landed at FOX 5 in New York, where she worked for seven years.

During her time at FOX 5, she was one of the accusers of disgraced Fox News CEO Roger Ailes. In a lawsuit filed in 2016, she claims she was not hired for a position at Fox News because Ailes “had determined that she would not submit to him sexually”.

Fox News Tops 15-Round Speaker of the House Vote Coverage

BNM Staff
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Upon the first week of a calendar year following a presidential or midterm election marks the start of a new Congress. The leader of the political party that holds the majority of the House of Representatives is usually elected as House Speaker. Once elected, Congress can proceed with governing. However, that wasn’t the case in 2023, and Fox News led the cable news coverage of the unusual circumstance.

For our lifetimes, the procedure to elect a Speaker of the House has been swift. And on Jan. 3, the first work day of 2023, it was expected to be no different. With the GOP attaining a slim majority in the House from the 2022 midterms, it seemed a foregone conclusion that Kevin McCarthy, former House Minority Leader representing Republicans for the past four years, would become Speaker.

But because of the small sect of GOP members from the “Freedom Caucus”, McCarthy did not receive the majority of votes needed to win, forcing multiple re-votes. (ensing dissension among Republican’s own ranks, 212 Democrat congressmembers repeatedly voted for newly-installed Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to be Speaker.

By Jan. 4, there was no confirmed Speaker. By Jan. 5, still no confirmed Speaker. And by Jan. 6, the two-year anniversary of the insurrection at the Capitol, nothing after fourteen voting attempts.

It all came to a head as it approached midnight Eastern when a visibly frustrated McCarthy confronted Rep. Matt Gaetz from Florida, the most-known Freedom Caucus member. Of course, cable news was there to capture that moment, leading to some of the respective networks’ best audience figures of the week (ending Jan. 8).

At least eight million tuned in to just the three major cable news outlets to witness the spectacle within the 11:00 PM-midnight ET hour on Jan. 6, according to Nielsen Media Research — a figure made even more impressive considering it was late night on a Friday night, the second-least watched night of television for the week in U.S. households.

Fox News Channel easily led in total viewers with 3.42 million, followed by MSNBC (2.49 million) and CNN (2.1 million). Based on the key 25-54 demographic, the ranking positions changed: CNN (575,000) scored victory in the hour (and the top hour for the week in all of cable news), with FNC (523,000) close behind, followed by MSNBC (388,000).

The fifteenth House vote took place within the midnight ET hour, which resulted in McCarthy finally becoming Speaker — the most rounds of ballots since the 44 rounds from 1860 in the lead up to the Civil War. He was officially sworn in during the 1:00-2:00 AM ET hour.

Like the 11:00 PM hour, the three aforementioned networks were similarly ranked, total viewership-wise, in subsequent hours; FNC took over the 25-54 lead after midnight ET:

15th round of House votes for Speaker (late Jan. 6/early Jan. 7 @ midnight-1 a.m.)

  • Fox News Channel: 2.760 million viewers; 435,000 adults 25-54
  • MSNBC: 1.764 million viewers; 314,000 adults 25-54
  • CNN: 1.497 million viewers; 380,000 adults 25-54

McCarthy sworn in as Speaker of the House (late Jan. 6/early Jan. 7 @ 1-2 a.m.)

  • Fox News Channel: 1.821 million viewers; 335,000 adults 25-54
  • MSNBC: 1.043 million viewers; 195,000 adults 25-54
  • CNN: 0.962 million viewers; 268,000 adults 25-54

For the week’s all-day live Speaker vote coverage and analysts from Jan. 3-6, FNC remained potent by leading in all dayparts while MSNBC and CNN each got sizable boosts from their respective norms.

More than 29 hours of MSNBC coverage (including the aforementioned three concluding hours on Friday late night) averaged 1.68 million total viewers which included 235,000 adults 25-54. CNN’s 22 hours drew 1.45 million viewers with 308,000 adults 25-54.

Cable news averages for January 2-8, 2023:

Total Day (Jan. 2-8 @ 6 a.m.-5:59 a.m.)

  • Fox News Channel: 1.444 million viewers; 191,000 adults 25-54
  • MSNBC: 0.950 million viewers; 120,000 adults 25-54
  • CNN: 0.740 million viewers; 154,000 adults 25-54
  • HLN: 0.142 million viewers; 38,000 adults 25-54
  • The Weather Channel: 0.116 million viewers; 19,000 adults 25-54
  • Newsmax: 0.115 million viewers; 12,000 adults 25-54
  • CNBC: 0.107 million viewers; 30,000 adults 25-54
  • Fox Business Network: 0.008 million viewers; 9,000 adults 25-54

Prime Time (Jan. 2-7 @ 8-11 p.m.; Jan. 8 @ 7-11 p.m.)

  • Fox News Channel: 2.062 million viewers; 252,000 adults 25-54
  • MSNBC: 1.374 million viewers; 166,000 adults 25-54
  • CNN: 0.918 million viewers; 204,000 adults 25-54
  • HLN: 0.177 million viewers; 53,000 adults 25-54
  • CNBC: 0.180 million viewers; 67,000 adults 25-54
  • The Weather Channel: 0.133 million viewers; 24,000 adults 25-54
  • Newsmax: 0.125 million viewers; 12,000 adults 25-54
  • NewsNation: 0.115 million viewers; 19,000 adults 25-54
  • Fox Business Network: 0.052 million viewers; 6,000 adults 25-54

Top 10 most-watched cable news programs (and the top programs of other outlets with their respective associated ranks) in total viewers:

1. The Five (FOXNC, Tue. 1/3/2023 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.851 million viewers

2. The Five (FOXNC, Thu. 1/5/2023 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.592 million viewers

3. The Five (FOXNC, Wed. 1/4/2023 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.498 million viewers

4. Fox News At Night (FOXNC, Fri. 1/6/2023 11:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.423 million viewers

5. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Tue. 1/3/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.336 million viewers

6. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Thu. 1/5/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.263 million viewers

7. The Five (FOXNC, Fri. 1/6/2023 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.220 million viewers

8. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Fri. 1/6/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.213 million viewers

9. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Wed. 1/4/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.990 million viewers

10. Jesse Watters Primetime (FOXNC, Tue. 1/3/2023 7:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.882 million viewers

22. 11th Hour with S. Ruhle “House Speaker Vote” (MSNBC, Fri. 1/6/2023 11:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.492 million viewers

32. CNN Tonight “The Speaker Vote” (CNN, Fri. 1/6/2023 11:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.095 million viewers

425. Shark Tank “Shark Tank 1304” (CNBC, Wed. 1/4/2023 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.313 million viewers

426. Varney & Company (FBN, Tue. 1/3/2023 10:00 AM, 60 min.) 0.313 million viewers

432. Forensic Files (HLN, Thu. 1/5/2023 12:00 AM, 30 min.) 0.305 million viewers

457. Highway Thru Hell “(1101) Hell And High Water” (TWC, Sun. 1/8/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.263 million viewers

504. Newsnation: Rush Hour (NWSN, Tue. 1/3/2023 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.228 million viewers

Top 10 cable news programs (and the top  programs of other outlets with their respective associated ranks) among adults 25-54:

1. CNN Tonight “The Speaker Vote” (CNN, Fri. 1/6/2023 11:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.575 million adults 25-54

2. Fox News At Night (FOXNC, Fri. 1/6/2023 11:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.523 million adults 25-54

3. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Tue. 1/3/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.493 million adults 25-54

4. Erin Burnett Outfront (CNN, Thu. 1/5/2023 7:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.466 million adults 25-54

5. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Wed. 1/4/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.462 million adults 25-54

6. The Five (FOXNC, Tue. 1/3/2023 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.447 million adults 25-54

7. Fox News At Night (FOXNC, Fri. 1/6/2023 12:00 AM, 60 min.) 0.435 million adults 25-54

8. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Thu. 1/5/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.428 million adults 25-54

9. The Five (FOXNC, Thu. 1/5/2023 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.426 million adults 25-54

10. Anderson Cooper 360 (CNN, Thu. 1/5/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.399 million adults 25-54

13. 11th Hour with S. Ruhle “House Speaker Vote” (MSNBC, Fri. 1/6/2023 11:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.388 million adults 25-54

231. Shark Tank “Shark Tank 1304” (CNBC, Wed. 1/4/2023 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.122 million adults 25-54

253. Forensic Files (HLN, Mon. 1/2/2023 8:30 PM, 30 min.) 0.115 million adults 25-54

514. Banfield (NWSN, Thu. 1/5/2023 10:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.050 million adults 25-54

526. Highway Thru Hell “(1101) Hell And High Water” (TWC, Sun. 1/8/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.049 million adults 25-54

584. Varney & Company (FBN, Fri. 1/6/2023 10:00 AM, 60 min.) 0.042 million adults 25-54

Source: Live+Same Day data, Nielsen Media Research

Bomani Jones: Marcus Spears Doesn’t Treat Broadcasting Like It’s Easy

BSM Staff
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There are plenty of former athletes on the payroll of sports networks all over the world. On his podcast on Wednesday, Bomani Jones noted that not all of them treat their transition into broadcasting like it requires work. He told Marcus Spears that he can tell the former Dallas Cowboy does.

“This job is not easy. I think a lot of people think they can just float in here and get it, and it was very clear early that no, you were not that,” Jones said on Wednesday’s episode of The Right Time.

Jones would know how difficult it can be to cut through in the media business. He is currently producing three episodes of his ESPN podcast each week while also preparing for the second season of his HBO show Game Theory to debut on Sunday night. This year, he also added regular appearances on CNN This Morning to his workload.

He attributes some of Marcus Spears’ appeal to the fact that Spears is from Louisiana, growing up in Baton Rouge. Bomani Jones noted that the culture of that state plays very well on television.

“Oh, you’re so familiar, and I mean that in the best way possible.”

ESPN keeps Spears busy. On television, he is a regular on both Get Up and NFL Live. He also makes appearances on First Take when called upon, as well as hosting a podcast with Kendrick Perkins for the company.

Jones said that he knows none of those opportunities came to Marcus Spears by accident. Spears first joined the company when the SEC Network launched and worked his way up over the years. Jones notes that requires a kind dedication that isn’t unfamiliar to Spears. 

“I appreciate when athletes get into our space and show the same respect for this craft that you show for your own.”

Anthony Scaramucci Prepping New Podcast

BNM Staff
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Former White House Director of Communications Anthony Scaramucci is returning to the audio space with a new podcast.

Open Book will launch on Wednesday, January 25th as an interview series hosted by the former Trump White House official.

Scaramucci had previously hosted a digital audio show on his website — Mooch.fm — called Mooch and the Mrs. with his wife.

The weekly podcast — produced by Salt Media Network — will feature Scaramucci having in-depth discussions with newsmakers, authors, and legal, political, and medical analysts to discuss topics that matter to the general public.

Guests include authors Gordon Sondland, Anand Giridharadas, Parag Khanna, and Jamie Fiore Higgins, as well as The New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman and businessman Kevin O’Leary of Shark Tank fame, among others.

Scaramucci is widely remembered for his 11-day stint in 2017 as the White House Director of Communications before being fired by Trump after blasting notable members of his administration during — what he believed was an off-the-record — exchange with Ryan Lizza of The New Yorker.

According to a report from Deadline, he will address his time inside the Trump White House, as well as his “blue-collar upbringing” and subsequent graduation from Harvard University during the upcoming project.

After leaving the Trump White House, Scaramucci became one of the former President’s harshest critics, while also accepting a role at CNBC.

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